Travel trailer towing capacity?

TXGREEK · January 11, 2019

Not any more aerodynamic than a Class A motorhome, which the comparison being made. Actually, the reverse of your assertion.

Go down to a commercial trailer location and take a close look at a 53' dry van trailer and see if it looks any more aerodynamic than a Class A motorhome. Please post pictures. Maybe the over 5 million miles I have been pulling them around, I lost perspective. A Class A motorhome does not have 3-4 foot gap midway like there is between semi tractor and trailer to generate turbulence. The Motorhome is a one piece deal with uniform air flow. And then there is the gap between bottom of that 53 foot trailer and the ground in comparison to that motorhome. Do you know of any motorhomes that have an over 3 foot distance between the bottom and sides of the motorhome and the ground? If so, again, please post pictures so we can all see this oddity. And let's see... how many tires have to be turned on the motorhome, each one offering resistance? Still waiting to see a Class A motorhome with 18 wheels and tires.... all of them 11" wide on 22.5" rims. Please post pictures.

And lest I forget... not many motorhomes have a heavy duty 5 foot tall / 8.5 foot wide AliArc cattle guard on the front of them like I have on the front of my semi truck that also tends to mess with the frontal streamline air flow just a wee little bit.

OP is talking about pulling a TT (travel trailer) not a tractor trailer. Moving on......

Sent from above

Cowpie · January 11, 2019

2 minutes ago, TXGREEK said:

OP is talking about pulling a TT (travel trailer) not a tractor trailer. Moving on......

Sent from above

My response (that generated your response) was to the 8.3 Cummins in a motorhome, not a TT. Back up a few posts and get up to speed. You may be "moving on" but you were never on the right road in this discussion.

Edited January 11, 2019 by Cowpie

TXGREEK · January 11, 2019

I tow a Forest River 201bhxl with my 17 crewcab 5.3 8 speed 4x4. Dry weight is 4233 pounds and loaded is around 5k.

It tows great but you can definitely feel it behind the truck. I use a WD hitch and no sway control. I get 10-12 mpg towing.

If i ever upgraded campers I would definitely want to upgrade the rear suspension or get a 6.2.

We have a blast with the kids in this camper. Here we are setup at the Seven Peaks Festival last year.

I’m not looking but if I were, your trailer would be more like what I’d get if I ever bought another trailer. Air bags help a lot especially with in cab switches along with Bilstein shocks.

Sent from above

Brummie99 · January 11, 2019

8 hours ago, Cowpie said:

I wonder if anyone else sees that 8.5 mpg as really sad. I can get almost the same mpg from my Freightliner Class 8 semi truck with a 53' trailer on the back with 30,000 lb of cargo in it. It is really sad when a 8.3L Cummins gets no better mpg than a motor that is over 50% larger, turning more wheels, and grossing more weight.

It's not as sad as a pickup getting 5-6mpg towing a trailer.

My point was going from a 15,000 GVW to 42,000 GVW brick-on-wheels ONLY cost 1.5mpg.

It seems the heavier you go, the more energy-efficient you get. Think freight train.

Cowpie · January 11, 2019

47 minutes ago, Brummie99 said:

It's not as sad as a pickup getting 5-6mpg towing a trailer.

My point was going from a 15,000 GVW to 42,000 GVW brick-on-wheels ONLY cost 1.5mpg.

It seems the heavier you go, the more energy-efficient you get. Think freight train.

There is some truth to that, but it is not as dramatic as some folks would have us believe. A little diversion here from the topic. Those that don't want to read it, then skip it.

The freight train advertisement where they stated stuff like 436 miles on a gallon of fuel per ton of weight is a bit melodramatic and is playing fast and loose with numbers taking advantage of the public's limited reasoning skills. Simple logic seems to suggest something counter to rail claims regarding train fuel economy. Why is it that a single locomotive has fuel tank sizes of up to 5000 gallons? Almost the same amount as a semi truck fuel tanker trailer. And the typical freight train has at least 2 locomotives, with many having 3 or more. The Rail industry goes thru over 4 Billion gallons of diesel fuel a year.

Using their same logic and their mathematical slight of hand, my semi truck gets 300 miles on one gallon of fuel per ton of weight. Sounds wild doesn't it! But that is the math.... an average 7.5 mpg with 40 tons of gross. That comes to 300 miles per gallon of fuel per ton. With the newer semi trucks, 9 mpg is becoming more common with some getting close to 10 mpg. Yes, that is hauling heavy loads. If they in fact got 10 mpg, that would equate to 400 miles per gallon for 1 ton of weight. Almost equal with trains.

And the freight train does not have to stop at road crossings and other such things like autos and trucks do or follow the ebb and flows of traffic speeds. All of which chew into fuel economy of autos and heavy trucks. And there are many other variables that trains have in favor over autos and trucks. Factor all those in and give semi trucks the same advantages rail has, and the trucking industry could easily best rail on the fuel consumption rates per ton of weight. And remove the $18,000 a year I have to pay in fuel and highway taxes per moving unit that rail doesn't, and I would be substantially more profitable per unit than rail.

This is some of the reasons that trucks still are the largest percentage of transport mode to move freight around N. America.

Edited January 11, 2019 by Cowpie

BoilerUP · January 11, 2019

On 1/9/2019 at 10:31 PM, silverado_colatown said:

Yeah TXGREEK I def. dont want to buy, the immediately sell a TT and/or my Truck! I am looking at this travel trailer:

2019 FOREST RIVER WILDWOOD X-LITE 273QBXL

http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=178&Image=5089&ShowParent=1&ModelID=2418#Main

Their website says, UVW is 5956lbs and CCC is 1724lbs for a total of 7680 lbs, which I think would be the GVWR. This TT is probably pushing it, what do you think?

I have a 2017 Silverado 1500 LT, Crew Cab Short Bed, 4x4 with 5.3L and 3.42 gears. The truck's placarded payload is 1702, GVWR is 7200, GAWRF and GAWRR are both 3950, rated tow capacity is 9100, GCWR is 15,000.

I have a 2018 Wildwood X-Lite 282QBXL, which is 32.5' long from tongue to spare tire. The 282QBXL has a placarded 6052 dry weight with a 626 spec tongue weight, and a GVWR of 7636.

The truck pulls the trailer with absolutely ZERO issues running 70mph on the interstate, and IIRC I'm turning about 2700rpm at that speed. Like most wind sails, the trailer can get blown around a bit when its gusty but I haven't really experienced the "sucked in by semis" that some folks talk about. Pulling a long, decent grade hill I do get RPMs up around 4k to maintain 70mph, but its a naturally aspirated V8 and that's where the torque is so no big deal. Running 70mph I average about 10.5mpg while towing.

Weigh slip is truck, full tank of gas, me, weight distributing hitch, trailer, battery, two full propane tanks and 2/3 fresh water tank. PLENTY of margin for my wife, two kids, and stuff.

Edited January 11, 2019 by BoilerUP

dieselfan1 · January 11, 2019

2 hours ago, BoilerUP said:

I have a 2017 Silverado 1500 LT, Crew Cab Short Bed, 4x4 with 5.3L and 3.42 gears. The truck's placarded payload is 1702, GVWR is 7200, GAWRF and GAWRR are both 3950, rated tow capacity is 9100, GCWR is 15,000.

I have a 2018 Wildwood X-Lite 282QBXL, which is 32.5' long from tongue to spare tire. The 282QBXL has a placarded 6052 dry weight with a 626 spec tongue weight, and a GVWR of 7636.

The truck pulls the trailer with absolutely ZERO issues running 70mph on the interstate, and IIRC I'm turning about 2700rpm at that speed. Like most wind sails, the trailer can get blown around a bit when its gusty but I haven't really experienced the "sucked in by semis" that some folks talk about. Pulling a long, decent grade hill I do get RPMs up around 4k to maintain 70mph, but its a naturally aspirated V8 and that's where the torque is so no big deal. Running 70mph I average about 10.5mpg while towing.

Weigh slip is truck, full tank of gas, me, weight distributing hitch, trailer, battery, two full propane tanks and 2/3 fresh water tank. PLENTY of margin for my wife, two kids, and stuff.

Why do you want to go 70 towing that? Where's the fire?

What do you do in a panic stop going 70?

BoilerUP · January 11, 2019

70mph is the speed limit, and I don’t much fancy being passed by semis and creating a rolling roadblock by going 65 or less on the interstate.

As for a panic stop...eyes down the road, situational awareness and increased following distance mitigates the odds one will be necessary. In the event I do have to panic stop anyway, well, the trailer has brakes too...

dieselfan1 · January 11, 2019

41 minutes ago, BoilerUP said:

70mph is the speed limit, and I don’t much fancy being passed by semis and creating a rolling roadblock by going 65 or less on the interstate.

As for a panic stop...eyes down the road, situational awareness and increased following distance mitigates the odds one will be necessary. In the event I do have to panic stop anyway, well, the trailer has brakes too...

Hooray for you

SouthpawHD · January 11, 2019

4 hours ago, BoilerUP said:

I have a 2017 Silverado 1500 LT, Crew Cab Short Bed, 4x4 with 5.3L and 3.42 gears. The truck's placarded payload is 1702, GVWR is 7200, GAWRF and GAWRR are both 3950, rated tow capacity is 9100, GCWR is 15,000.

I have a 2018 Wildwood X-Lite 282QBXL, which is 32.5' long from tongue to spare tire. The 282QBXL has a placarded 6052 dry weight with a 626 spec tongue weight, and a GVWR of 7636.

The truck pulls the trailer with absolutely ZERO issues running 70mph on the interstate, and IIRC I'm turning about 2700rpm at that speed. Like most wind sails, the trailer can get blown around a bit when its gusty but I haven't really experienced the "sucked in by semis" that some folks talk about. Pulling a long, decent grade hill I do get RPMs up around 4k to maintain 70mph, but its a naturally aspirated V8 and that's where the torque is so no big deal. Running 70mph I average about 10.5mpg while towing.

Weigh slip is truck, full tank of gas, me, weight distributing hitch, trailer, battery, two full propane tanks and 2/3 fresh water tank. PLENTY of margin for my wife, two kids, and stuff.

Do you know why you don't have "sucked in by semis"? Because you're trailer and truck are properly packed (weight distributed properly) and you're weight distribution hitch is set up to match your truck height and trailer size and includes some measure of anti-sway. That is ever so important when pulling a larger trailer on a 1/2 ton. Well done.

But 70 is just a little too fast, likely your trailer tires are limited to 65MPH. Something to look at anyway.

Nitrousbird · January 11, 2019

5 hours ago, BoilerUP said:

70mph is the speed limit, and I don’t much fancy being passed by semis and creating a rolling roadblock by going 65 or less on the interstate.

As for a panic stop...eyes down the road, situational awareness and increased following distance mitigates the odds one will be necessary. In the event I do have to panic stop anyway, well, the trailer has brakes too...

Thank you for not being the a-hole slowing the freeway down. If the rig can't tow at the speed limit, probably shouldn't be towing on that road IMO (excluding up hill, bad weather, etc.).

23 hours ago, TXGREEK said:

Though I understand, a boat is not the same thing as a travel trailer. Travel Trailers are nowhere near as aerodynamic as a boat being hauled. Years ago, i towed a very large ski boat with an old bronco and didn’t slap me around like towing a TT.

No such thing as a "very large ski boat." Too many people call run about's as ski boats (pet peeve of mine). If it isn't a direct drive inboard, it isn't a ski boat. Just like putting a tower on a run about doesn't make it a wake boat.

As for your TT experience, did you have the WD hitch set up correctly. It seems that more people don't have it set correctly than do. Same with the tongue weight on the trailer. This makes a huge difference in the towing experience. And obviously the towing experience with differ based on how the truck is optioned - a Max Tow 6.2L will tow a lot better than a base 5.3 on the same body truck, for instance.

gmckenzie · January 11, 2019

1 minute ago, Nitrousbird said:

Thank you for not being the a-hole slowing the freeway down. If the rig can't tow at the speed limit, probably shouldn't be towing on that road IMO (excluding up hill, bad weather, etc.).

Just want to say, wow.

So driving within the speed ratings of most trailer tires is now being an a-hole?

dieselfan1 · January 11, 2019

8 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

Thank you for not being the a-hole slowing the freeway down. If the rig can't tow at the speed limit, probably shouldn't be towing on that road IMO (excluding up hill, bad weather, etc.).

What's wrong with going 60 in the right lane? You come up to him and change into the left lane and pass. Not that big of a deal. If you are in that big of a hurry, get out bed earlier.

garagerog · January 12, 2019

Wow, this post has really gotten contentious in a hurry, maybe I can add to it by differing with nitrousbird on what constitues a "ski boat". Depends on what time frame you're looking at, back in the 30's the Chris Craft inboards were the go to boat. After that outboards with their much better power to weight ratio were preferred, moving on to the late 70's and early 80's the "ski boat" to have was a 455 powered Olds flat bottomed jet boat. I've seen skiers behind inboards, outboards, in-board outboards, and jets. To say that only an inboard qualifies as a ski boat makes as much sense as saying only a Prius qualifies as a car.

Nitrousbird · January 12, 2019

1 hour ago, garagerog said:

Wow, this post has really gotten contentious in a hurry, maybe I can add to it by differing with nitrousbird on what constitues a "ski boat". Depends on what time frame you're looking at, back in the 30's the Chris Craft inboards were the go to boat. After that outboards with their much better power to weight ratio were preferred, moving on to the late 70's and early 80's the "ski boat" to have was a 455 powered Olds flat bottomed jet boat. I've seen skiers behind inboards, outboards, in-board outboards, and jets. To say that only an inboard qualifies as a ski boat makes as much sense as saying only a Prius qualifies as a car.

I get a truck 100 years ago is very different than a truck today. Same as an airplane, car, home, etc. I live 3 minutes from a waterway where it is all water sports and fishing; 22' limit, jet ski's and tubes are banned...the fishing guys stay in the no wake and everyone else is doing water sports. I've never, ever seen an old jet boat, Chris Craft, etc. For ski boats, it's Malibu and Mastercraft inboards with a Ski Natique 2001 thrown in. Then you get a couple of I/O's thrown in usually knee boarding, a pair of skis or doing some weird and inappropriate things with a surf board. Even the Yamaha Jet Boat guys don't come out much.

In the last 30 years, direct drive inboard is a ski boat. Period. Hell, I don't even ski a direct drive - my boat is one of the best Vdrive boats to ski behind (SV23 diamond hull Malibu), and to be honest I only slalom a couple times a year behind it - the rest is surfing with a bit of wakeboarding thrown in (and perhaps wake foiling this year if my wife wants to go even bigger on this year's Father's Day present, as last year was a $1000 surf board).

I'm also pretty sure the OP was referencing a freaking I/O runabout as a ski boat. I/O's are for Wally's, not folks that are into water sports. Now a proper footing boat with an outboard, like a Malibu Flightcraft, that's a whole other animal, but even lighter than an inboard ski boat.